James Gallagher

going in the right direction

Published on May 5, 2020

Going in the right direction is my top priority in my career.

I have recently been entertaining what it would be like if I went down a different path in my career. One thought that crossed my mind was what a career in government would look like: safe, secure, and one where you can have a meaningful impact on your country.

Entertaining these different paths has encouraged me to think about what matters most to me. I have been thinking more about what my ideal day at work looks like -- what jobs I want to be engaged with on a daily basis.

The reason I have been thinking about these paths is because I want to make sure that I am going in the right direction. I am convinced this is all that matters in a career.

There are so many different paths you can pursue in a career, and while the potential paths you can pursue become limited over time, it’s still possible to pivot.

Where I am at right now, I could enroll in university on the merits of my high school grades and pursue a degree in a subject like business or computing or law. While that could lead to a good career, it is not directionally correct for me.

Evaluating different career paths has given me conviction that the one I am on right now is the one that I want to be on. I want to work in the technology industry, and be part of the culture focused on making meaningful improvements to people’s life through tech.

Knowing this allows me to focus my attention on what matters: continuing down this path.

It’s tempting, especially when times get tough, to think about how easy it would be to pursue another path. For young people, the incentive to do this is even higher, because young people haven’t sunk much of their lives into a particular path yet. But pivoting too early in your career, like pivoting a product too early, is usually not a good idea.

I am unsure what my long-term career prospects look like in technology. Right now, I am enjoying going deep on writing and product -- two fields that interest me. However, no matter what happens, as long as I keep going down the path I am on right now, I know that I will be going in the right direction.

Making progress isn’t just about doing more stuff, it’s about working on things that provide you with meaning, and following the right paths. I don’t know exactly what the right path is for me yet -- will I specialize in content or product, or will I find something else in tech to work on? -- but I do know that I want to work in tech.

The best thing I can do right now is stay on-track and focus on learning as much about the tech industry as possible. I wanted to be pointed on the right path.

As I explore more, I’ll be able to narrow in on what the right direction looks like. Right now, though, I’m still entertaining different paths within tech and exploring.